Passing triangles
All the best professional teams of the modern era like Barcelona, Real Madrid and Bayern Munich play a high-tempo combination game based on keeping possession and moving the ball to open up defences. The central pillar in the combination game is the passing triangle. Here we show how very young players can learn to pass and move.
Ball control
Here is a simple exercise for two players where the player with the ball tries to stop the ball by one of two cones before the defender can mark the cone. This teaches essential attacking and defensive skills.
Transition & overload
Possession is an important part of the game, but teams also need a cutting edge. The best teams have the ability to inject pace into the game at critical moments, especially when they win the ball. This phase, the transition from defence to attack, offers the best opportunities to score because the defence is not yet set and the attacking team can exploit an overload.
Here are some exercises that develop young players’ ability to spot openings and exploit a weakened defence.
Appropriate use of resources
These resources are useful, but what is most important is choosing the most appropriate ones for your team. With so many different drills to choose from, you need an experienced and dedicated coach to select the right ones for your team and the stage in its development. Furthermore, when running these drills, it is essential that the coach understands the key lessons and how to pass the knowledge onto the players.